


Playing with the big boys now

by IrisMoonstone



Category: HIVE - Fandom, Marvel Adventures: Avengers, X-Men (Movies)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-14
Updated: 2012-06-14
Packaged: 2017-11-07 18:23:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/434030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrisMoonstone/pseuds/IrisMoonstone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A crossover, just had the great idea really, might not actually be written that well, enjoy anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Playing with the big boys now

Four identical doors slid open into a white square room, revealing the four men stood in the doorways.  
Nero hung back in his container, watching the three other men stride in - or at least two men stride in: the third rode in on a high-tech wheelchair. They looked equally confident and equally confused. Except the dark man wearing an eye-patch, opposite Nero, who just looked furious. The headmaster followed suit and headed towards the metal table in the middle of the room, for which they were all heading.

“So, which of you security-overriding men have called me out of my office with such high importance? And what’s so important that it couldn’t wait?” fumed the furious Fury, eyeballing them all.  
“Yes, I’d rather like to know that as well” speculated the tall greying man with a cloak.  
“I think we’d all rather like to know that. But the answer is: none of us.” said the bald man in the wheelchair, raising an eyebrow.  
They reached the table and took a seat. “So: we don’t know why we were brought here, why us, or who our host is?” Fury concluded slowly.  
“Well we could start with finding out why us, what we have in common.” The wheelchair man started diplomatically “My name is Charles Xavier; I run a school for gifted youngsters.”   
Fury snorted “A school for ‘gifted people’? Oh please.”  
“Not disabled, mutants,” Xavier replied.  
“Mutants?” The immaculately tailored man finally opened his tight mouth. Fury turned his eye to him “Yeah, mutants. Y’know, changed humans, with kinda special powers.”  
“We prefer the term ‘evolved’ humans,” interrupted Xavier primly.  
“I prefer the word ‘dominant’,” commented the caped man quietly. Fury turned back to Xavier “So what’s your ‘evolved’ part then?” Xavier stared at him and then at Nero, suddenly, they could hear his voice in their heads: _This is my power: I can read minds and speak into them_.  
Nero tried to hide his surprise, and turned to the relaxed caped man. “You’re a mutant too, so what can you do?” The man focussed on the metal table and it easily levitated a foot into the air, then it lowered back to the floor. “I can control metal,” The caped man said “I can shape it, move it, do whatever I want with it really. They call me Magneto.”  
Nero felt uneasy with Magneto’s complete control over his power, and thought _he knows exactly how powerful it is_. Eyes still taking in everything, Nero made a mental note to keep a very close watch on him.

 

Fury sat back in his chair and took his turn in the democracy “My name is Nick Fury. I am the director of an organisation called SHIELD. Stands for the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.” He eyed them all daring them for comments or objections; then, apparently happy, settled a curious eye on the impeccable figure opposite, inclining his head as a prompt.

Nero took his time, deciding how much to tell this curious bunch. A plan evolved in his ever-changing mind. He took a deep breath “My name is Maximilian Nero. I am also the headmaster of an institution named H.I.V.E. That stands for ‘Higher Institute of Villainous Education’.” He hesitated slightly as Fury raised an eyebrow. “I’m also currently the leader of an organisation called GLOVE, the Global League of Villainous Enterprises.”  
There was a silence around the table as the other men thought over what they’d just heard. Fury leaned forward, eye like a laser. “Let me get this straight,” he slowly pronounced “You run a school for villains? So, what, you get educated bad guys? To do your dirty work for you, is that it?”  
“Oh no, they all go their own ways after they graduate. But yes, the idea was, as you say, to have more ‘educated’ villains. The world needed a challenge,” Nero replied slickly.  
“What? Don’t you think the world’s got enough problems already?” Fury was out of his chair now “Whose crazy idea was this?”  
“Mine” Nero’s voice was icy; this was getting no-where. Apparently, Xavier had the same thoughts.  
“Please, friends, this is getting no-where. We need to work together if we want to find out why we’re here.”  
Nero smiled inwardly “We don’t need to know, at least not now. What we _do_ need to do is get out.”  
“And I suppose you’d know exactly what we need to do?” Fury slung back.   
“Yes, I would.” Nero ignored Fury’s open mouth to come back and turned to Magneto “There is a camera in the corner of the wall behind you, could you dispose of it please?”  
Magneto liked to think he could see what the smooth man who seemed to notice everything’s plan was. He looked into Nero’s eye, but the man was like a mask- unreadable. But still he complied: the camera twisted tight and drooped, sparks flying out. Nero smiled “thank you, I feel much more secure now. I suggest we have a look at one of these doors, I noticed on the way down that the back panel could be opened.”  
Fury dropped his head to one side in disbelief “and who put you in charge?”  
“Oh, I’m not ordering you, merely suggesting a fairly reasonable course of action, instead of sitting here arguing pointlessly,” Nero answered, effortlessly turning the tide.  
“I agree with the good doctor,” backed Magneto “or should I say, bad doctor.” No-one was in the mood for his bad humour, so he avoided the awkwardness by getting up and walking over to the nearest door.  
Fury still tried to gain control “I’ll think you’ll find that, as the military leader here, my opinion is far more valid than a criminal’s. I say we secure the area and try to contact the outside.”  
“I think you’ll find that the definition of ‘criminal’ is someone who has been caught or has evidence of doing something against the law. I have never been caught, and you have no evidence of me ever doing anything wrong, therefore you have no right to call me a criminal. Also I would have thought you’d have noticed by now, but in the event of wanting to find a way out of anywhere where there is not so obvious an exit, I am the most accomplished man present for the job.” Nero’s usually blank face flashed a little bit satisfied and a little bit smug at Fury’s expression.  
Xavier switched from surveying to making the scene “Under the circumstances, I’m inclined to agree with Doctor Nero - he is the one with the most experience in these matters” However, I think it is also necessary to try and contact the outside, so we know what to expect – we could be in the middle of the sea for all we know. Do either of you have any communications device about you?”  
Nero flipped out his phone “no signal,” he commented, omitting to mention the blackbox in his pocket “This room must be isolated from the network” the slick villain continued, standing up “what’s the door?” he strode to where Magneto had finished searching the edges for locks and hinges “plastic, all of it” Nero nodded curtly and crouched to put an eye to the lock, while reaching inside his black jacket pocket for the pistol he always kept with him “10 millimetres…” he murmured to himself, working out what damage his bullet would make to the lock.  
Fury finally took a step in Nero’s direction and saw what he was planning to do.  
“Let me” he said, pulling his pistol from its holster and following to the door. Nero and Magneto stepped smartly out of the way as Fury raised the gun at the lock, squinting his eye and cocking both head and hammer. The single bullet shot through the plastic and out the other side. Fury walked over and wrenched the door open. “You say this back panel moves?” he called back as he went to have a look.  
“Yes…” Nero was unsure of how much he could trust this new player.  
Fury knocked against it, “Metal man, you’re up” he said, turning back.  
Magneto stifled a sigh “It’s Magneto” but he walked in anyway, easily unscrewed the bolts and lifted the panel away, revealing a smaller metal door “Ah, even better” within a second the second door had swung open to reveal a narrow corridor.  
Magneto hung back and gestured for Fury to go first, but Nero walked in quickly, this time with Xavier following.  
Nero set a brisk pace through the corridor with Fury bringing up the rear, his pistol out. When they reached a junction the leader barely hesitated before turning right.  
Nero’s plan had one slight problem, but the devious Head counted on precise timing and distraction to avoid it. They need to trust me he reminded himself; well, I haven’t gone wrong yet, so they know that I know what I’m doing. A small smile crept out as another metal door came into view.  
Magneto saw it too and it opened onto a breezy concrete plateau as Nero reached it. “Stay here,” he warned “I’m going to check if it’s clear.”  
“Of what?” Fury asked immediately, needing to know the danger.  
“Traps, automatic ‘tripwires’, people” Nero replied, and to add trust “believe me, they’re very common in these sorts of places, and the good ones are very well hidden and might catch you out. Stay hidden and keep quiet, ok?” He stepped out the door and swung it shut behind him.

As soon as the door was shut, Nero smiled and pulled the blackbox out of his pocket “Shroud 1, track these co-ordinates and pick me up as quick as possible.”  
“Sir!” came the pilot’s reply. Nero switched off the comm system “HIVEmind?”  
“At your service, Dr Nero.”  
“Set this blackbox to 10 seconds self-destruct, wait for my confirmation. Also, I’d be grateful if you could play a particular song as its countdown…”

 

Fury was getting impatient “I don’t trust that guy, he’s taking too long. A criminal always has a hidden agenda. We should go after him.” He looked around for confirmation.  
“I agree, he’s definitely up to something” Magneto frowned.  
“We’ve trusted him and he’s got us so far, but if he’s a criminal…” Xavier hesitated and thought of what he knew about the fellow headmaster. Fury interrupted his thoughts “Can you hear that?” They froze as they heard an unexpected noise coming from the other side of the door…

Outside, from the blackbox now attached to the door’s handle, HIVEmind’s electronic voice spoke out “countdown sequence initiated.” Then, surprisingly, a popular Michael Jackson song kicked in.  
♪ “Smooth criminal…” ♫  
Nero smiled “Not my taste, but I think they’ll appreciate the gesture.”  
Magneto had finally caught on to the smug villian and blasted the door off just as the song ran out. Too late. The whole corridor collapsed with the blackbox’s explosion, leaving a pile of rubble.  
The devious headmaster walked away from the scene, walking into the rising wind as a shroud uncloaked and lowered the ramp. Smiling. Evilly, of course.

Crowley sighed contentedly and sat back in his comfy chair in front of seven camera screens, five of which were blacked out.  
“Well, that one was interesting,” Aziraphale commented “Nero really turned out quite evil, didn’t he?”  
Crowley nodded knowingly “I knew he would, I can tell, Y’know.”  
Aziraphale sighed. “So, who shall we do next, dear?”


End file.
